scheggen agreement
 

Has anyone rv'd in Europe more than 90 days. According to the Scheggan you can only stay in the countries for 90 days then must leave for 90 days before returning. we would like to stay in Europe for more than that before leaving. Any info. Don't want to get caught after the 90 day period if we were stop.
Carolyn

I apologize in advance for being the spelling police but it's the Schengen zone, not scheggen. I don't know where you are from but it sounds like you need to get a Schengen visa if you want to stay more than 90 days.

Yes, you need a visa, like in the old times. Ask the embassy of the country where you want to stay after 90 days for details.

I would advise you to use the SEARCH function before requiring all of us to repeat ourselves. Thre are several Loooong threads on this forum explaining all the Schengen rules AND penalties. Just put in "Schengen rules" in the serch slot.

BTW, to get more than 90 days is well-nigh impossible unless you are working for some EU employer, have an illness that keeps you in an EU country hospital etc. You can't stay more than 90 days just because you want to and you are financially solvent ... those days are long gone. The EU is coping with a huge immigration pressure combined with unemployment, and the countries have restricted stays accordingly.

Do we have to get a visa from a country after the 90 days is up? If we get a visa in say Netherlands,can we travel with this Visa after the 90 days to other countries in Europe and could we travel up to a year. We are American citzens and would love to be able to travel throughout Europe.
crafty

Crafty,

I posted this same reply on your other thread, but will post it here just in case you miss that one.

Just an additional thought. You might consider the strategy similar to one used by a friend. He bought a canal boat I the Netherlands, and for many years he has spent the summer cruising the inland waterways. As his 90 day limit approaches, he puts the boat into storage in a convenient marina, goes back to the States for the winter, and picks up his boat the next spring.

Perhaps this would work just as well for your camper.

:-)

<<Do we have to get a visa from a country after the 90 days is up? If we get a visa in say Netherlands,can we travel with this Visa after the 90 days to other countries in Europe and could we travel up to a year.>>

No. You'd have to apply for a long-term visa here in the USA before leaving, and you certainly wouldn't obtain one based on "we'd love to travel throughout Europe."

Many people from many countries want to do this. Schengen dosn;t allow it- just like you europeans can't simply decide they want to move to the US for a year. tourists are allowed free access for a limited amount of time. Longer-term immigrants aren;t without either a sponsored job, sometimes a marriage with an EU citizen or the desire (and demonstrated means, including fully paid medical insurance) to live there.

If you really want to stay for a year you need to prove why, how much money you have, that you - or any children - won;t be using any local services (schools, medical care etc) and then hope for the best. With kids it will be difficult - since they'll eventually be doing something besides retiring. And the amount of funds you have availble would have to be very signficant - esp for more than 2 people.

1. The Schengen agreement merely limits the length of visa-free time citizens of richer countries may stay in Europe's more xenophobic countries. It doesn't apply in Britain or Ireland, or in the poorer countries in the eastern half of Europe. As you'll see if you search Schgengen on this board, you may stay for 90 days in the Schengen countries, then 90-180 days outside, then back in Schengen for another 90.

2. Longer-stay visas in Schengen are NOT restricted to people intending to work or retire in the area. They do NOT require sponsorship. They take a while, and a fair degree of paperwork, to get - to prevent you from becoming a charge to local taxpayers). But just contact or search your local German or French embassy to find out what you need to do to get a 180 day to 1 year visa.

I would strongly advise that you make due with 90 days rather than applying for the required "carte de sejour" (in France for example). It will take you several months at best, cost you considerable money (not free anymore) and require several conferences with authorities beginning with a meeting at the USA consulate for the country you are going to deal with and lots of red tape including an FBI search of your criminal record and expensive foreign document translations by a certified translation company. (your translations will not satisfy) All of this is behind me now but had I known the hassle involved I would never have started the process.

I now live over 7 months each year in Europe (France). I have to just to make all the hassle and expense worthwhile.

Larry J

You need a Schengen visa issued by the first Schengen country you intend to visit, before you start travelling. You need one which covers all of Schengen not just the country you start out in. There are agencies which will help you - if you Google you will find them.
You will need to prove you have health insurance for the entire period of your visa - something which can be tricky as most travel insurance only covers a continuous period of three months, and sufficient funds for the period - and that can be a substantial sum, plus that you are intending to return home at the end of your trip - you have a house/job to return to.
The Schengen countries are tightening up on overstays so don't consider doing it visa less.
Your camper would almost certainly not be insured for some of the non-Schengen Eastern European countries so you need to consider that before going the 90 days in and out route to avoid a visa.
Many countries require you, in addition to the visa, to register with the police/town hall if you are staying in the country for a long period - normally your hotel would do this, but with a camper you may be required to this your self - you need to check on those rules too for the countries you plan to visit. Any children you have travelling with you must also be receiving education in some form.
It is a lot of paperwork, but providing you can prove you have insurance and the means to support yourself for the length of your visa, without working or calling on social services, then you can get a visa.

Look into it properly - the rules aren't that hard to understand but it seems as if you haven't even looked at the basics yet.

Anyway, not all of Europe is in Schengen, so you could do 90 days in, then 90 days out in, for example, UK and Ireland, then return to Schengen for another 90 days.

I'd like to thank everyone for there information on the schegen agreement. We believe what we will do is find a campervan in the Netherlands and will stay in Europe for the 90 days and then go to the U.K. aand Ireland for 90 days. After that we will return to Europe for 90 days and then store the camper for 6 months and then return to the USA. We then plan to come back to Europe later on and travel some more. We have emailed and talked others from U.S.A. that have done this.It has worked for them and some went to Europe for a year and had no problem. To make sure we follow the rules of the schegen we will do the 90 days in and 90 days out. The visa thing seems to complicated but have not checked into that yet. I have done quite a bit research for this trip already and we thing it will work out fine. We are retired and have the funds for this campervan trip.
Again thanks,
crafty

Schengen. It's Schengen.

Have a ball. If you end up in the Dordogne, there are many gorgeous 3* and 4* campgrounds that are inexpensive and allow you easy access to many of the most beautiful sites in the Périgord.